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Technology and Family Life

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 16:09:51 GMT

clipped by: vienova4
clipper's remarks: Forget the alarm clock; send your kids a text message to wake them up in the morning. Must face-to-face interaction with those closest to us be sacrificed in our quest to connect with the world through technology?

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Technology has shaken up plenty of life’s routines, but for many people it has completely altered the once predictable rituals at the start of the day.

This is morning in America in the Internet age. After six to eight hours of network deprivation — also known as sleep — people are increasingly waking up and lunging for cellphones and laptops, sometimes even before swinging their legs to the floor and tending to more biologically urgent activities.

Mr. Gude, an instructor at Michigan State University, sends texts to his two sons to wake up.

“We use texting as an in-house intercom,” he said. “I could just walk upstairs, but they always answer their texts.”

Weekday mornings have long been frenetic, disjointed affairs. Now families that used to fight over the shower or the newspaper tussle over access to the lone household computer — or about whether they should be using gadgets at all, instead of communicating with one another.

Tags: family life, technology

Marriage Counseling & Family Therapy, Bellevue

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 20:39:22 GMT

clipped by: vienova4

Clip Source: www.pragmatictherapy.com

Does home feel like a battleground whenever you get

embroiled in a shouting match with your teenager?

Do you face a stonewall every time you try to connect with your spouse?

Or are you a single parent having a hard time balancing

work and family responsibilities?

I work with couples and families to overcome relational problems, increase family members' sense of well-being, and restore harmony at home.

* Parent Coaching: I help parents regain authority over teenagers with behavioral problems and become more effective at balancing work and family responsibilities.

* Parent-Child Relational Intervention: You and your teenager can develop skills to strengthen emotional bonding.

* Couples Therapy: Learn new ways to connect with your partner and work through past hurts.

I also run a support group for women.

Ling Chua, MA, LMFT-A

(206) 280-3591
ling@passagescounseling.com
9 Lake Bellevue Dr
Suite 217
Bellevue, WA 98005

Tags: marriage counseling, family therapy, mental health services

Bellevue Therapist

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 19:37:10 GMT

clipped by: vienova4

Clip Source: passagescounseling.com

Do you worry a lot? Frequently doubt yourself? Feel you don’t fit in?

I can help. I specialize in working with people whose lives are affected by psychological distress such as:

Anxiety
Depression
Difficulty relating to others
Negative self-talk
Low self-esteem

Often, such distress is accompanied by the following behaviors:

Addictions -- substances, Internet, gambling
Compulsions -- eating, shopping, self-injury
Negative relationship patterns – frequent arguments, withdrawal from others

I also work with couples and families who are affected when a family member is experiencing these difficulties. My focus is on helping you connect with one another in healthier ways so we can restore harmony and balance at home and create a supportive environment for everyone.

Ling Chua, M.A.

ling@passagescounseling.com

(206) 280 3591

9 Lake Bellevue Dr.

Suite 217

Bellevue, WA 98005

PASSAGES COUNSELING SERVICES

Therapy for Individuals, Couples and Families

Tags: counseling, mental health services, therapy

Counseling Bellevue

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 19:32:00 GMT

clipped by: vienova4

Clip Source: thoughtsontherapy.blogspot.com

Group Therapy for Women

What does it mean to be a working woman with a family?

Everyday, millions of working women in America are struggling to keep up with the demands of work and family. Symptoms of anxiety and depression often develop, along with feelings of "I'm not good enough" or "what is the purpose of my life?"

The good news is, you don't have to suffer alone. Come meet with a group of women who face challenges like yours.

You'll find strength from group bonding, practical advice on keeping your life together, skills to combat stress and negative emotions, and renewed energy so you can thrive and grow. I'm keeping the group size small (no more than 6) for maximum therapeutic benefits.

Finding Work-Life Balance - Group Therapy for Women
When: Fridays, 5pm to 6:30pm
Where: 9 Lake Bellevue Dr, Suite 217, Bellevue, WA 98005
Cost: $25 per session
Call (206) 280-3591 or email ling@passagescounseling.com

Clip Source: thoughtsontherapy.blogspot.com

Ling Chua

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Associate

Passages Counseling Services

Tags: group therapy, counseling, mental health, women's issues

Group Therapy For Women

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 22:33:21 GMT

clipped by: vienova4
clipper's remarks: Group therapy is a good alternative to individual therapy because it's much more affordable and you get the benefits of peer support.

Ling Chua
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Associate
Bellevue, WA

Clip Source: thoughtsontherapy.blogspot.com

What does it mean to be a working woman with a family?

You work hard in a job that may or may not pay you well, and you sometimes wonder if sexual discrimination/harassment is alive and well at your workplace. When you come home you've got to fulfill your roles as a mom and wife, fixing dinner for your husband/partner and reading to your children at bedtime. Every time when your mom/sibling calls to complain about their lives, you step into the role of a good daughter/sister and offer them your best support. When a friend is sick or going through a bad breakup, you run to their rescue.

You make sure every detail in others' lives is taken care of, even when you don't always get thanks.

Come meet with a group of women who face challenges like yours.

Finding Work-Life Balance - Group Therapy for Women
When: Fridays, 5pm to 6:30pm
Where: 9 Lake Bellevue Dr. Suite 217
Bellevue, WA 98005
Cost: $25 per session
Contact: (206) 280-3591 for a free screening and consultation

Tags: group therapy, women's issues, counseling, therapy

Support Group for Women

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 19:07:38 GMT

clipped by: vienova4

Clip Source: thoughtsontherapy.blogspot.com

Millions of working women in America are struggling to keep up with the demands of work and family. Symptoms of anxiety and depression often develop, along with feelings that "I'm not good enough" or "what is the purpose of my life?"

The good news is, you don't have to suffer alone. Come meet with a group of women who face challenges like yours. I am running a support group for women in Bellevue, WA, where you'll find strength from group bonding, practical advice on keeping your life together, and renewed energy so you can thrive and grow. Details are as follows:

Finding Work-Life Balance - A Support Group for Women
When: Fridays, 5pm to 6:30pm
Where: 9 Lake Bellevue Dr. Suite 217
Bellevue, WA 98005
Cost: $25 per session
Contact: (206) 280-3591 for a free screening and consultation

Ling is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Associate who provides counseling for individuals, couples, and families in Bellevue, WA.

Ling Chua

Tags: support group, women's issues

Depression: A Mistaken Disease

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 05:00:26 GMT

clipped by: vienova4
clipper's remarks: Is there a biological basis for depression? Certainly, according to Dr. Mark Rasenick, a professor of physiology, biophysics and psychiatry at the University of Illinois Chicago. Even then, he contends that we know too little about the disease to even begin to treat it effectively, let alone stem its rising tide in the global population.

I share his sentiment that the medical professionals erroneously see medication the magic bullet to cure depression. Yet one needs to interpret with caution his assertion that depression is a "biological, medical problem" that often requires "long-term treatment." The relationship between biological and emotional aspects of depression remains a chicken-and-egg puzzle: does one feel depressed because of a chemical imbalance in the brain, or does feeling depressed lead to such imbalance?

Clip Source: www.chicagotribune.com

Depression impairs 15 million Americans each year. That's more people than are affected by cancer, AIDS or coronary heart disease. Women are twice as likely as men to suffer from depression.

I study how the brain works on the molecular and cellular level, and I am especially focused on the biology of depression. I can tell you that depression is as real as any other disease.

We still don't have a clear understanding of the biological basis of the causes of depression or the best ways to treat it, whether with medication or other methods.

those with heart diseases are treated with compassion while those with psychiatric disease are ignored or scorned. Most people -- including far too many doctors -- don't fully understand it. They think you can just snap out of it with positive thinking or a couple of weeks' worth of medicine. It won't happen. Not for those with major depression. It is a biological, medical problem that can be helped only with well-managed and often long-term treatment.

Tags: depression, mental health, treatment issues

Not Just an Addiction Problem

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 16:06:42 GMT

clipped by: vienova4
clipper's remarks: Ever wondered why addictions -- to drugs, alcohol, the Internet, shopping, etc -- are so hard to kick? Why expensive drug treatment programs so frequently fail to deliver their promised results?

The answer lies in the fact that addictions are but people's desperate way of coping with their deeper psychological problems, most often depression and anxiety but may include schizophrenia and other forms of psychosis as well. When substance abuse professionals focus on the person's dysfunctional behavior and ignore the underlying pain (even worse, downplay the pain by believing that the depression will go away once this person is off drugs), the chances of relapsing are extremely high.

It's time we pay serious attention to the use of substances for self-medicating reasons.

Clip Source: www.washingtonpost.com

Experts Challenged by Mental Illness Mixed With Addiction

In the often separate worlds of mental health therapists and substance abuse counselors, professionals began realizing in the mid-1980s that large percentages of the people they were seeing -- sometimes 50 percent or more -- suffered from both mental illness and addiction to alcohol or drugs.

And treating just one affliction wasn't helping.

Hence the term "co-occurring disorders," or "dual diagnosis."

The federal government estimates that about 7 million U.S. adults suffer from co-occurring disorders and that more than 90 percent of those people are not getting the right treatment.

Anderson said, "The mix of substance abuse and mental health problems really does complicate things." Those with co-occurring disorders, she said, "end up being marginalized in society. Because they have mental illness, they can't handle alcohol or drugs. They get criminalized. They can't get housing, they can't get jobs. What's left for them?"

Tags: substance abuse, mental health, addiction, therapy, treatment

Drug Rehab: Miracle Cure or a Waste of Money?

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:41:58 GMT

clipped by: vienova4
clipper's remarks: Those fancy, spa-like clinics you see on TV that provide residential drug treatment for tens of thousands of dollars -- do they work? Perhaps, but apparently only for as long as you stay there.

Clip Source: thoughtsontherapy.blogspot.com

Do Drug Rehab Clinics Work?

In real life it costs tens of thousands of dollars to check into one of these places for a month. And no one knows for sure whether these treatment programs work because these clinics are rather secretive about their success rates. Post-treatment or aftercare services are scarce; follow-ups with their patients 3, 6, or 12 months on are practically non-existent. But anecdotal evidence suggest that patients don't stay sober for long after discharge.

Most drug rehab programs would have you believe that addiction is a disease.

But seeing addiction as a disease keeps us focused on treating the individual person, neglecting the ecology (such as family dynamics) that maintains the disease or the person's psyche that prevents him/her from using adaptive coping skills.

In the quest to escape one's emotional pain, if the spa-like comfort house by the beach is not within reach, the bottle (or syringe) would once again look immensely promising.

Passages Counseling Services

Tags: drug treatment, substance abuse, addiction, mental health, therapy

The Pain of Avoidance

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:46:30 GMT

clipped by: vienova4
clipper's remarks: Why do we run from unpleasant thoughts and feelings? We willingly bear with the pain of an immunization shot because we "know" it's good for us and the pain will pass. Can we similarly deal with emotional pain the way we would the pain of a needle?

Clip Source: thoughtsontherapy.blogspot.com

Classic Psychology 101 exercise: for the next 30 seconds, think of anything but a white bear.

Chances are, you couldn't think of anything else but the white bear. One strategy to "succeed" in this exercise is to substitute the thought of the white bear with, say, that of a pink elephant. In real life, however, substitutions are not always healthy and adaptive. Just look that how many people you know who abuse drugs and alcohol to avoid dealing with their pain or grief. Or those who immerse themselves in work to avoid having to deal with the emptiness they would otherwise feel in their lives.

The fact is, the more we try to avoid a thought or feeling, the more we inadvertently become slaves to it, giving it more power while we continue to run and hide from it in fear.

Notice that these are thoughts and feelings inside of you, not reality itself.

Notice the urge to want to push these unpleasant feelings away, but just let it be. You don't have to act on this urge.

Therapy in Bellevue, WA

Tags: mindfulness, meditation, mental health, depression, anxiety, therapy

Smell the Roses (or Coffee)!

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 07:42:35 GMT

clipped by: vienova4
clipper's remarks: Who hasn't taken a trip down memory lane with a mere whiff of a familiar scent? Whether it's the woodsy smell of some old furniture that reminds you of your wonderful time in grade school, or a particular cologne that fills you with the bittersweet memories of an old lover, scents have a powerful way of stopping us in our tracks and at times filling us up with rather intense emotions--both good or bad.

Yes, it's not just the information that we recall with a scent, but more importantly the emotions that go along with the memory.

According to the following article, scents go straight to the limbic system in the brain, the very place our emotions are triggered. Is it any wonder why aromatherapy is so effective in calming nerves and revitalizing one's energy? Of course, it helps that when we smell something pleasant, we take in slower, deeper breaths--often the very action that soothes us and clears our mind.

So take your time when you wake up tomorrow and smell the rich, texture

Clip Source: www.care2.com

according to psychologist Rachel Herz, a Brown University professor who studies the psychology of smell. “A person may have no emotional reaction to seeing a photo of a loved one who died,

but that person may unexpectedly encounter the same smell particular to the loved one’s study–a combination of cigarettes and books, for instance–and feel like weeping.” She notes that “those who lose their sense of smell because of accident or illness also report a loss of emotional richness and, over time, a loss of emotional intensity toward life. Experiences are flatter, they report.”

Margo Valentine Lazzara

writes that scents “trigger memories because of their quick access to the limbic system in the brain. It is here that scents will evoke an emotional response, such as hunger or sexual appetite. They can help you recall long- and short-term memories. If a particular scent stirs up past or painful emotions and memories and causes you suffering, then you might want to avoid this specific scent.

Tags: psychology, perfume, scent, mental wellness

Physical Pain and Depression

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:15:30 GMT

clipped by: vienova4

Clip Source: thoughtsontherapy.blogspot.com

Unexplained Pain? It Could Be Depression

Every now and then, when we experience shoulder tightness or backaches, we know it's stress related. But do you know that depression can similarly cause pain in our body?

In this study of 308 patients, the researchers found a significantly higher incidence of somatoform pain in patients who are depressed or have had depression in the past year, compared with patients without depression.

I'm reminded that in many cultures, depression can look very different from that as described by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV-TR).

The affective (feelings) and cognitive (thoughts) dimensions of depression may not play a prominent role in non-western cultures. For example, depression among the Chinese population often manifests in the forms of bodily aches, digestive difficulties, and obstruction of the flow of qi (energy) within the body.

Clip Source: thoughtsontherapy.blogspot.com

Therapy in Bellevue, WA

Passages Counseling Services

Tags: mental health, depression, pain, therapy

It's All in the Head: Psychotherapy Changes Brain Activity

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 15:23:22 GMT

clipped by: vienova4
clipper's remarks: Medication or psychotherapy? Pharmaceutical companies would have us believe that depression and anxiety disorders cannot possibly be lifted if we don't address the underlying neurochemical imbalance with medication. Yet increasing evidence indicate that receiving counseling and therapy brings about similar changes in the brain that are associated with improved mood and functioning.

I'm really excited about findings like this. To be sure, I'm not advocating that we do away with medication altogether. Medcation may indeed be necessary to treat psychotic symptoms or severe depression. But I am hopeful this and other studies will get us to think twice before we reach out for that bottle of Adderrall or Concerta for ourselves or our kids.

Clip Source: www.psychologytoday.com

The Biology of Psychotherapy

growing evidence from brain imaging research suggests that the form of therapy known as cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, produces changes in the brain similar to those produced by medications when they work.

Cognitive behavioral therapy emphasizes the role our thoughts play in how we feel.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by anxiety-laden intrusive thoughts and accompanying repetitive behaviors that are meant to reduce the anxiety.

In a study that compared CBT to Prozac, researchers used a brain-scanning technique called positron emission tomography to measure the rate of glucose metabolism in the OCD brain after Prozac treatment alone and after therapy treatment alone. The results were essentially identical: both interventions decreased the rate of glucose metabolism to levels seen in healthy people without OCD, and the rate of the decrease seemed proportional to the degree of improvement in their OCD symptoms.

Tags: mental health, therapy, psychotherapy, medication

Power of Negative Thinking?

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 05:40:09 GMT

clipped by: vienova4
clipper's remarks: An interesting article that reflects a basis premise of mindfulness and other modern therapeutic approaches: the more we fight the demon, the bigger it becomes. So let's just sit with it, instead of acting on the urge to confront, challenge, and change it.

Clip Source: www.time.com

Yes, I Suck: Self-Help Through Negative Thinking

A Million Little Pieces by James Frey (center) is displayed amongst other self-help, recovery books, at a Borders Book store." />

A study just published in the journal Psychological Science says trying to get people to think more positively can actually have the opposite effect: it can simply highlight how unhappy they are.

unfavorable thoughts about ourselves intrude very easily, especially among those of us with low self-esteem — so easily and so persistently that even when a positive alternative is presented, it just underlines how awful we believe we are.

The paper provides support for newer forms of psychotherapy that urge people to accept their negative thoughts and feelings rather than try to reject and fight them. In the fighting, we not only often fail but can also make things worse. Mindfulness and meditation techniques, in contrast, can teach people to put their shortcomings into a larger, more realistic perspective. Call it the power of negative thinking.

Tags: mental health, mindfulness, therapy, self-esteem

心理咨询、婚姻治疗与家庭治疗

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 04:27:28 GMT

clipped by: vienova4

Clip Source: passagescounseling.com

百索者咨询服务

提供个人心理咨询、婚姻与家庭治疗

您面对精神困扰吗？

人生的漫长路上，偶尔不免经历波折。无论您是面对工作、生活的挑战，或是家中出现成员之间的摩擦，都会让您倍觉焦虑、忧郁、困扰。要是您是离乡背井到这儿寻求新生活，有语言文化差异，更可能给您和您的家庭添加压力，不仅带来隔离感、精神紧张、忧郁等症状，还影响夫妻和亲子关系。在陌生的环境里，无亲人依靠，更觉孤独无助、极度挫折。

百索者咨询服务通过个人心理咨询、婚姻与家庭治疗，给您一个空间，探索如何让您和您的家人渐渐走出逆境，拾起失去的信心，开始重建良好关系，达到柳暗花明又一村之效。

Clip Source: passagescounseling.com

咨询范围

我从事心理咨询工作的信念，是与个人、夫妻／配偶、和家庭紧密合作，探索如何法摆脱困境、提升各人的心灵发展。对于生活的种种挑战，我采取实际的策略，竭力帮助您通过新观点、新知识、新技巧克服挫折。在家庭方面，让您和家人用不同的方式沟通，重新了解彼此，从而发展新的叙事，开始新篇章，使冲突不再重演。以下是我的专长：

忧郁症、焦虑症
青少年问题
婚姻问题
亲子之间的摩擦

此外，我也帮助在这儿旅居或定居的华裔，克服在异乡居住所带来的种种精神困扰，从而让您与您的文化环境取得协调。

无论您需要解决短期问题，或寻求方法解决中长期问题，甚至进一步达到自我精神升华，我将尽力配合您的需求。

蔡小玲

Ling Chua, M.A.

ling@passagescounseling.com

(206) 280 3591

9 Lake Bellevue Dr.

Suite 217

Bellevue, WA 98005

Tags: 心理咨询，婚姻治疗，家庭治疗，心理辅导